Please note, this is fan fiction and I have no rights to any part of the star wars universe.

First of all I want to thank everyone who read episode 1 and everyone who left kind and encouraging comments. It really means so much when readers take the trouble to write and give constructive feedback.

Secondly, I have tried to give a brief summary of past events below so you can read this without reading episode 1, but if you haven't read it, then I hope you will, click on my stories toi find Cell 66 – A Star Wars Story.

Last, but not least, I really hope you enjoy this new instalment. It's new territory for all the main characters and they have a lot of adventures ahead of them…

Picture the scene….

Commander Six fought in the clone wars and was compelled to kill his Jedi master against his will. Now he will stop at nothing to get his revenge against the Empire and try to halt their spread across the galaxy. As leader of a cell for the insurgent leader 'Contact', Six with his little crew of outcasts on board the freighter Kraken, have been assigned the task of joining with the larger Resistance group, rumoured to be led by Senator Bail Organa.

Military Intelligence officers Mattesta, Deckard and Xinn are anxiously awaiting their fate after failing to recapture the Jedi prisoner for Lord Vader.

Meanwhile, the Jedi Rune, rescued from the clutches of the Empire by Six, has been betrayed and handed over to the Emperor by the mysterious Contact….

CELL 66

Episode 2

Rise of the Three

Rune,

former Jedi

and prisoner of the

Inquisitors has been recaptured

and turned to the dark side by the Emperor.

Now he prepares to begin her training as a Sith, so that

she might take her place as the third of his apprentices and together

they will consolidate his power and ensure his rule across the galaxy is absolute

Unaware of this betrayal, her former rescuer Six and his crew on board the Kraken are to

make contact with the Resistance so that they may join them in the fight against the evil Empire…

Chapter 1

A New Dawn

Mattesta, Deckard and Xinn checked their uniforms for the umpteenth time. Their flagship, Reconnaissance, or 'the Wreck' as they liked to call it, because it was gleaming and new, had been in orbit around Coruscant for over two weeks. But it was only today, finally, that they were being shuttled over to Vader's ship, Devastator. They were reasonably sure they weren't going to their deaths, but then, you never could be completely sure with the unfathomable Sith Lord….

Lieutenant Deckard was not happy about this latest development. She wanted to keep well away from Vader. It had been bad enough facing him on the holovid, but meeting in person was way too close for comfort.

They had history, though she sure hoped he didn't know it, and she wanted to keep it that way for a little while longer yet. Until the opportunity came along that she was waiting for. She didn't exactly know what that opportunity would be, but she was pretty sure she would know it when she came face to face with it. The last thing she wanted to do right now was come face to face with him.

She was also not happy about Xinn. The girl was a deadweight, completely unnecessary. Everything she had done had failed. She couldn't see why Mattesta kept her around. It annoyed her that she couldn't find out how Xinn had been hired, where she came from, why she was important enough to be dragged in off the street and given a rank equal to that of Deckard.

Deckard, as a lowly technician, had single-handedly tracked down the insurgent vessel, the Kraken, when no one else had been able to find it. Though she hadn't known it at the time, it was the Kraken's crew who had stolen two prisoners: the Jedi and the Defel; and prevented them from being delivered to Vader. Deckard had to quell a tiny niggling thought that it was she who had triggered the chain of events that had brought their little crew squarely to the front and centre of the Sith Lord's attention.

But even so, all would still have been well if Xinn hadn't single-handedly lost the prisoners, while she was undercover as part of the crew of the Kraken. At least in Deckard's version of events.

She frowned mulishly and tried not to curl her lip as she glared at the creature. Xinn was everything Deckard was not. Redheaded, corkscrew curls, pale cream skin, with elfin features and a smattering of freckles across her pert nose that made her look 'cute.' Even in their dour uniform she stood out, with a glow that made her colleagues look even dowdier. Xinn was also incredibly confident and had a particularly annoying swagger that she liked to employ whenever she felt Deckard's gaze upon her.

Deckard on the other hand, was dark with iron straight black hair and a perpetual scowl. She felt like other people's gaze slid right across her without registering her presence, only to land on Xinn and stay there. Well good. While they were gazing at Xinn they wouldn't see what she was up to…

She felt the shuttle land inside a hangar bay in the Devastator, and reflexively smoothed her uniform again as she stood. She tried to make the gesture look like confidence and not a sign of the anxiety she was feeling about what might lay ahead. They moved out rather more tight-knit than usual, not sure what they would find.

Part way down the ramp, alert to every move Xinn made, she felt the redhead stiffen and heard a small hiss escape her lips.

Curious, she followed her nemesis' gaze to a small cloaked figure approaching the bottom of the ramp. For a moment Deckard got a glimpse of hollow cheeks, shorn hair, bony frame and then the figure pulled up her hood and wrapped the cloak loosely around herself, obscuring her outline.

Something about the girl gave Deckard chills. She and Xinn both stepped hurriedly out of the way as the girl stepped on to the ramp without waiting for them to finish disembarking. Mattesta was either not so quick on the up take or saw no reason to move, he continued to stride purposefully down the centre of the ramp, king of his own little world.

Deckard saw the girl give an almost imperceptible swipe of her fingers and the next moment Mattesta went flying off the ramp and landed in a crumpled heap at the bottom of it.

The girl continued walking at the same steady pace as if he had never been there. Deckard jumped down to help her superior officer, trying to shield her mind and cover her consternation, but her gaze was following the girl. Who was she?

Xinn just stared after her, lost in thought. Like she had seen her before. Deckard thought fast. Force users weren't in great supply. Xinn had surely only been in contact with one. The Jedi prisoner on her former ship, the Kraken.

Somehow Vader must have already recaptured the prisoners that Xinn had lost. If so, what did he want their team for? Why not just leave them to carry on with their day jobs, hunting down insurgents? She swallowed apprehensively and helped Mattesta to his feet. Was the Sith Lord about to punish them for not being fast enough, after all? The Wreck had been only a few hours behind the Kraken and had been closing the gap with every jump – how on earth did someone get ahead of them?

Rune recognised Xinn moments before the traitor spotted her. She had been lost in her own thoughts and not paying the attention she should. She pulled up her hood, to fend off any kind of exchange and strode into the shuttle. After Xinns betrayal of the crew of the Kraken, Rune would have been very happy to fry the redhead to a crisp. Instead she settled for knocking the hapless male officer off his feet. It was all too easy to release her anger on to others now.

She made herself comfortable, alone in the passenger area of the shuttle. As she felt the craft lift off from the hangar bay she let her mind drift away, thinking of all that had happened to her in the last two weeks.

She shuddered as she remembered how horrified she had been at finding herself face to face with the Emperor. She had known something was wrong with Contact, he wasn't who Six thought he was. But she didn't expect to be immediately delivered into Palpatine's presence, despite her own precognition. No, she hadn't been mentally prepared at all.

The Emperor reeked of evil, it was like a physical assault on her senses just to be in his presence. The shock and terror had over whelmed her, ripped her breath from her lungs as if all the oxygen in the building had been extinguished in that instant. All she could think was that, whatever she had endured before, it would be nothing to that she would suffer at the hands of the Emperor himself. She knew her resistance was at an end, she had nothing left.

Better just to submit now, with her dignity intact, rather than when he had forced her into submission. And he would. She had already seen the outcome.

He was vile, and the way he leered and smirked at her, knowing he had won, made her so revolted that she felt sick to her core, her body chilled and shaking, her legs barely holding her up.

At the same time, his open gloating was fuel to the anger that burned freely inside her now. She used that anger to glare back at him, to keep her chin up somehow when all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and hide.

The anger that was at least in part caused by knowing that after everything she had gone through, she was right where she was supposed to be.

And yet, she reflected now, submitting to the dark side and becoming Palpatine's apprentice, hadn't brought her the training she sought. She had been half escorted, half carried out of his throne room by two of his guards. They had taken her to her new quarters as if there had never been any doubt of her arrival or of her submission.

They had half thrown her through a door into a room dimly lit by the waning sun, and they had turned and left without ceremony. She had sunk to her knees, her trembling so great she couldn't stand. She had expected a cell but to her dawning astonishment, she felt soft carpet beneath her.

She looked up and directly ahead of her she saw a sofa of all things. She crawled on to it and lay there shaking and alone as the sun vanished behind the skyscrapers of Coruscant and darkness fell.

She may have dozed, but either way it was a long time before she could gather herself enough to sit up. 'Lights' she croaked, and a soft warm light flooded a relaxation area, with a dining table and chairs off to one side. She saw the entry door and two others leading off. She stood shakily, hardly daring to wonder if she had a little suite of rooms to live in, and if it might be that she had them all to herself. Tentatively she explored what lay beyond the internal doors and found a bathroom and a bedroom….a single bedroom, no sign of any other occupant.

It was as she was trying to absorb this unexpected discovery, she received Palpatine's first order via a droid. She didn't even warrant a personal holomessage.

She was to attend Lightsabre training with Lord Vader starting first thing in the morning. Only when his former apprentice was 'pleased with her progress', was she to be brought into the presence of her new Master.

The off-handedness of the order stoked a rage inside her she hadn't known she possessed - as she guessed it was intended.

Light sabre combat was the last thing she had come here to learn. She and the other younglings had been taught by the most proficient Masters available, and had masterclasses from seasoned fighters right up to and including Anakin, Mace Windu, and even Yoda himself on occasion. She knew everything she ever wanted to know about wielding a blade, and more. She would never be as good as Vader and she hadn't given up her freedom to play second fiddle to him. She had not entered this servitude to fight in that way.

She kicked the droid hard and it fled back out of her rooms, the doors swishing closed behind it. She could feel a tantrum building inside her, a power and darkness, so overwhelming in its force that the shock of it took her by surprise. On the brink of unleashing that fire on to her unsuspecting furniture, the shock gave her pause. A tiny moment where she hovered on the brink of a darkness so complete, she knew she might lose herself for ever. She had never felt so powerful, not even back on the Kraken in the skies above Ord Mantell. She stepped deliberately back from that edge.

As fast as it came the rage subsided.

She took a deep breath and sat down a little shakily. It was a few moments before she could gather her wits as the blast of adrenalin loosened its hold over her reflexes.

Hmm. The old Sith was every bit as wily and sly as she had expected. He had nearly tipped her over the edge on her first day. He had something she wanted, and clearly, he knew it. Now he intended to withhold it from her to drive her crazy and keep her in submission to him. Yes, he was clever. She needed to be cautious. She knew that. What she wanted was to throw caution to the winds and storm out of her rooms to find him. And she very nearly had. He would have loved it, it would have given him such power over her, knowing that she had no control.

But there was something at the back of her mind that was worrying her. She ordered her door to open again and looked up and down the corridor. There was no sign of the droid. Neither was there any sign of any guards. That surely couldn't be right. She left her room and started to walk up and down a few corridors. No one tried to stop her, she saw cleaning droids, even a palace guard. They all ignored her.

This lax treatment was so far from what she was expecting that she couldn't quite comprehend what was going on at first.

Had she given herself up to the dark side so easily in the end that she had sunk between their notice? But surely not – if Vader was to train her then she must have some value? Or was the Emperor using her insignificance to needle his old apprentice? She shook her head; her thoughts were racing and she couldn't make sense of anything. It was making her feel dizzy, and her chest felt weighted down with lead.

She headed slowly back to her apartment, stopping to ask a cleaning droid the way, all the corridors looked the same and she chided herself for not paying more attention of her route.

The droid showed her the way politely and without fuss; it was more unnerving than a hundred imperial guards.

Once back inside her quarters she sunk down on to her sofa and took a few deep calming breaths. She didn't understand what was going on and neither did she know what she was going to do about the lessons with Vader…..

She had no desire to pick up a light sabre ever again, much less have Anakin teach her. She remembered when Master Kyobashi had told her about the slaughter of her school friends. She had hoped never to see Anakin again, but she had never doubted that if they did meet, he would kill her too. Now this. She was expected to work with him and he with her.

She remembered the anger that had torn through her only minutes ago. She didn't want to inadvertently unleash that side of herself again when she came face to face with him. And certainly not with a blade in her hand – that was a fight she couldn't win, but it might be a very convenient reason for him to kill her against his masters wishes.

But if she refused the lessons then she would either be made to go or simply ignored. Both options weakened her position, she didn't want to be ignored and she didn't want to be forced to do something she had refused to do – that would set a dangerous precedent.

She cast about hopelessly, stuck at an impasse until it occurred to her to wonder why she was being asked to improve her sabre skills. She didn't believe that the Emperor did anything without reason. Understanding this may teach her a lot about the situation she was in.

As a youngling in the temple, the light sabre was the thing most of her classmates got excited about. They loved to hear stories about famous sabre battles, and to practice with their sticks on the temple lawns. They couldn't wait to be old enough to start proper training. Using a sabre was the hallmark of a Jedi. If you had one of those, everyone in the galaxy knew who you were. It was a badge of status, something to be proud of.

Rune had been one of the few exceptions. She didn't need everyone to know she was a Jedi, and there were other facets of the force that intrigued her more. She had done what training she needed to get her through school and to be able to defend herself and others if she ever found herself in battle. After all, at that time, going in to battle was almost inevitable for most Jedi, the war with the Separatists seemed to have no end in sight.

While she had worked diligently with her practice sabre in lessons, her spare time she used for studying, not play fighting.

A thought struck her with growing horror …..she had made no secret of her disinterest in fighting, and she had spent much time in the library. She had seen Palpatine at a distance from time to time as a youngling – but surely he had never known…. she could never have been of interest to him, could she….? Would the Council have ever mentioned to the Chancellor, a youngling who had seen a future where the temple was attacked? She remembered how her far-seeing ability had shut down shortly after she told Yoda about her vision. They just might have.

And if so, was he now using that knowledge to annoy and frustrate her, make her hate him and feel all those negative emotions that were the fast track to losing control?

That was exactly the kind of thing he would do.

So, she had to go to Vader. But she would never learn sabre skills from him she told herself. She would reinforce her independence even as she did as she was told. And she would learn more about Vader, though she hated him; and through him she would learn more about her Master.

She had gone on that shuttle the next morning. Willingly on the surface, but with not inconsiderable trepidation on the inside.

She remembered that first lesson as clearly as if it had happened just a few minutes ago. A droid had escorted her to the training rooms, opened the door and retreated hurriedly. That should have been warning enough. She saw Vader immediately, a distance from the door, alert to her presence. He didn't bid her welcome, but threw a crude training blade at her, taking up a fighting stance as he did so. She neatly sidestepped and let it clatter to the floor. She felt the door whoosh closed behind her, but her eyes were focused solely on him. On Anakin. She could barely draw breath, such was the rush of emotion that flooded her senses: hatred and fear, a heady combination. Her lungs felt cramped, her vision blurry.

He didn't pause, but drew his blade and advanced upon her, clearly expecting her to scramble for the training blade. Instead she retreated to one side, leaving the weapon on the floor.

'Do you wish to die?'

'No'

'Then pick up your weapon'

'That piece of junk is not mine. And picking it up would ensure I lost. How could I best the greatest swordsman in the galaxy?' she taunted, hearing the strange high pitch of her voice give lie to the steel she was trying to show in her bearing

Vader snorted. 'True enough. But your master wishes to ensure your lightsabre skills are sufficient, after your….. enforced absence from practice. If you wish to commence your training with him, I suggest you pick up the blade and spar with me.'

'No. I won't fight you.'

Vader was not given to small talk.

He came at her with terrifying speed, knocking her back with the force. She crashed into the wall and slumped at its base. He stood over her with his sabre poised to strike.

She gazed up at him coolly. 'You win for today.'

After a tense moment where Rune felt her future could go one of two ways, Vader switched off his blade. 'Yes. I do. You should meditate on this lesson before your session tomorrow.' He spun on his heel and left the training room.

Rune blinked to clear her vision and let out the breath she had been holding with an explosion of coughing. She hadn't wanted to Vader see her agony, but she could hardly breath back in. She had to summon a droid to help her up and get her back to the shuttle, but even so it seemed a long and painful hobble.

By some miracle Vader's force push hadn't broken anything, but her back was one large bruise and she had concussion according to the medical droid back down on the surface in Palpatine's palace.

While it treated her injuries she lay very still, trying not to be sick, and reflecting on the session. Vader had shown no mercy, attacking hard. Keeling over at his first attack wasn't going to impress him. She wasn't sure she had any skill that would ever impress him. The only thing she had ever really excelled at was sheer pig-headed stubbornness. So how she would ever do anything to get through this phase of her training, without picking up that training blade? Because if she picked it up, she would end up down a rabbit hole she did not want to get lost in.

Was she going to be stuck in this loop til they grew bored at her feebleness and killed her?

But no, the Emperor needed her for something, she was sure of it. One thing she had learnt during her 8 years of captivity was patience. He would reveal his hand in time. She was used to waiting.

Vader clearly intended to do the bare minimum to fulfil the command from their master, she reflected. Maybe she could take advantage of that somehow. Although if he thought that by injuring her in her lesson's he could keep her away most days, he could think again. She was used to enduring pain.

Eventually the medical droid grudgingly agreed that she could leave med-bay, but the chronometer on the wall indicated most of the day was done.

Rune had an overriding urge not to just go back to her rooms and do nothing, she seemed to be freer now than she had ever been in her life. She wanted to do something. Unfortunately, she didn't really know what people did. She thought back to her days as a youngling. What did off-duty Jedi do? The only thing she could remember seeing them doing was exercising. She supposed that might be a good option for her. After all, she was supremely unfit, she had been cooped up in a cell for years.

Once she could stand upright without assistance or projectile vomiting, she made the med droid fetch a water bottle and give her directions to the gym. The only gym left in the palace was the one used by the Imperial Guards he informed her in his dispassionate voice.

She had a feeling she was going to be supremely unwelcome but followed his directions anyway. She didn't have anywhere else to be.

She had hoped the gym would be empty, but to her dismay, some of the Guards were in there, working out. It was strange to see them without their red cloaks and masks, but still she felt a prickle of unease as she walked in.

As they stopped what they were doing one by one to openly watch her she very nearly walked back out. But she forced herself to keep walking, reminding herself severely that she wasn't a prisoner here and she had access to the force – she could protect herself now.

Even so it was incredibly hard to concentrate as they stood around her menacingly, their muscular bodies dwarfing her tiny frame. Trying not to react to them she tried to figure out how the running machine worked, but of course it stubbornly refused to start moving.

Eventually one of them stepped forwards. His shirt proclaimed him to be 'Calar'. She braced herself for a blow, but instead he pointed to a small button she hadn't noticed before. She pressed it and the screen lit up with options. She nodded her thanks and pointedly concentrated on finding a pre-programmed fitness test. One for total beginners.

Beginner programme or not, running on a machine was incredibly, mind-bogglingly boring. And sweating and heavy breathing after about 30 seconds on a slow speed in front of several very fit, strapping and amused guards, was hardly encouraging.

She could feel her cheeks burning under their scrutiny. She stopped the machine and stepped off it, heading for the exit. So much for a show of defiance.

The younglings at the temple all had to run as part of their training, but they ran in the beautiful gardens of the Temple. The Temple had been turned into a Palace, but its basic layout should be the same and she knew there should be a way into the gardens somewhere near here.

When she finally found it, the exit was locked, but a simple motion of her fingers saw to that. She walked eagerly through to the doors and breathed deeply the scent of Coruscant: pollution, laced with the fragrance of the blooms in the gardens.

The garden was empty of people, where once it had been filled with younglings and Jedi training, relaxing or gardening. Now a few droids kept the vegetation in strict order, the gravel paths precisely raked over, the lawns uniformly clipped. Nature was no longer allowed to be natural, but the silence suited her. She had no desire for small talk or bird song. She set her feet on the once-familiar path and started to run.

She felt slow and heavy, having to break into a walk far more often than she would have liked, and her back was still sore, but being outside the oppressive Imperial trappings in the Palace was wonderful. She ran, and ran, slowly and painfully, but it was freedom. The freedom of being out-doors, of not being cooped up in a cell, it was exhilarating. She remembered that sensation of being on Homestead, being able to walk for miles in any direction. After all those years in a cell, it had been terrifying at first, over-whelming to her numb senses.

Here was perfect. Open space, but not too much; freedom, technology and droids close by. She felt the most peace she ever remembered, even as her heart was thundering in her chest and her head was spinning as she forced herself onward. How ironic that she had had to turn to the dark side to find peace.

Her feet had taken her to the herb gardens. She slowed to a walk, her flanks heaving, sweat drenching her hair. A droid scurried out of her way as she strode into the centre and looked around. She soon found the section she was looking for. Tea bushes. There was a large assortment here. Inez would love it. She scowled and cast that thought out. But the tiny woman had given her a taste for tea. She beckoned the droid over. 'Harvest me some tea leaves' she pointed imperiously to several different bushes at random. Deliver them to my rooms within the hour. In fact, bring a selection each morning to my rooms as well. Dried and ready to use.' She added realising she didn't know the first thing about turning a tea leaf from this vibrant fresh green thing to the browny, yellowy, darker dried stuff Inez used to put in her teapots.

The droid squeaked in an alarmed way. For some reason the palace droids always sounded that way, and not comfortingly obliging like she had been used to long ago. The tone of it made her want to kick the thing, and that was probably why it sounded the way it did – the droids here were used to being mistreated. She resisted the urge to lash out and let it get on with the job. Instead she strolled back out of the herb garden and headed for her rooms, looking forward to a shower in real hot water, tea, and sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, she felt light headed. She readied herself for her lesson while her tea steeped in hot water. Even after she had drunk a cup, the dizzying feeling didn't go away. She had a vague feeling she was missing something, but it was only when her serving droid invited her to order breakfast that she realised what it was. Food.

Her stomach turned at the thought of eating, it felt like something other people did. But as she looked at her skin stretched translucent over her cheek bones in the mirror, she knew she was going to have to try. But she couldn't even really remember what she should order for breakfast, couldn't imagine what would taste good. In her cell, all food was the same tasteless mush. On the Kraken, Inez had kept her supplied with small simple meals. On Homestead, Torri had taken over that duty. She hadn't had to think about food, ever. She ate when and what she was told to.

The droid let out a squeak, if a droid could fidget, this one would be doing just that.

'An apple….?' She said hesitantly. She was going to fight Vader. She needed nourishment, and even she could remember that an apple wasn't going to cut it. 'Wait. Is there a chef here?'

The droid squeaked assent.

'Take me to the kitchen then'

The droid gave a foreboding wail but led her out of her rooms, and down into the bowels of the palace.

Eventually they came to a vast kitchen. There were people and droids scurrying about, pans steaming, spitting, meat roasting, different aromas drifting across the room. But through all the hubbub, it was easy to see who was master here. An old man, slender, a wisdom in his eyes like he had seen much and chosen to say little. When he did issue an order, it was carried out immediately. Like the Emperor she mused. But she got no sense of evil here, it was a place dedicated to food and nothing else.

She approached and he eyed her speculatively. He seemed to know who she was.

'I need to eat, but I have no appetite. I know I need nourishment. Can you recommend something for me?'

There she had said it. I have no appetite….

The chef pursed his lips for a moment and then sent a boy off with a quick word that meant nothing to her. 'You will take breakfast now, and I will cook you a meal and send it to your rooms tonight, and every night. If you wish for lunch, you will come here'. He turned on his heel and started addressing a solemn looking woman who was gesticulating at a massive, and massively ugly, long-toothed fish.

The boy was back at her elbow before she had time to formulate a response to the chefs retreating figure.

She glanced down at her hands, the boy was pressing a small, warm parcel into them. And then he too was gone, off on his next errand. She made her way to the garden. She had a little time before her shuttle was due to leave, and she wanted to investigate the parcel on her own. She was afraid of what was going to happen when she opened it.

She sat on a bench in the sunshine, shielded from the palace windows by a topiary squid creature. Apprehensively she picked at the ties, and then unwrapped the paper very slowly. It crinkled and the sound seemed extravagantly loud. She glanced around nervously, not wanting to be observed.

Just garden droids.

Inside the parcel was a small pastry, no bigger than the palm of her hand, the aroma was delicious, making her mouth water involuntarily. Tentatively she took a small bite. The pastry was light and flaky and crunched as she bit into one corner. Inside it was stuffed with what looked like delicately chopped vegetables and a slightly sweet red sauce. Even that tiny morsel was delicious on her tongue. She couldn't believe that anything could taste so good. She swallowed with some difficulty, it had been some time since she had eaten. She thought back, trying to remember when it had been. Had it really been back on Homestead? That seemed a life time ago.

She took another small bite and savoured it on her tongue, her eyes closed blissfully. She managed a few more bites and then she knew she had eaten all she could manage. Reluctantly she carried the remains of the pastry in doors and fed it into a trash receptacle on the way to the shuttle.

The second lesson took slightly less time out of Vader's day than the first. As the doors opened and closed behind Rune, Vader offered her the training sabre again. She refused, and almost before she could assimilate what was happening, he had ignited his own sabre and was taking up an offensive stance. He gestured briefly, force- pushing her abruptly backwards and slamming her into the wall. She had a brief sensation of being thrown like a rag doll and the next moment she was knocked unconscious. She came around on the shuttle back to the Palace.

Lesson for today, she reflected – her instincts and reactions were critically slow after all that time in captivity. She should have been able to at least try to dodge, but she had barely comprehended she was under attack. She needed to hone her reactions…but she couldn't see how she could do that before her next lesson.

When the droid finally released her from med-bay she walked slowly to her rooms. The afternoon was drawing to a close, a few lights starting to decorate the sky scrapers in the distance. She changed and forced herself up to the Gardens to run, though she felt sick from the exertion by the time she made it back to her apartment. She showered slowly, and by the time she re-entered her living room, her table had been laid and a covered dish was on her table. She sat down and looked at the dish. She didn't know if she had the strength for another ordeal tonight. The last thing she wanted to do was eat, but she knew she had to build some strength. That alone might help to improve her reactions. She fetched a glass of water and then sat down again. It was still there. She forced herself to remove the lid. To her relief there was just a small bowl of thin broth, not even any bread. It smelt good. Slowly she lifted the spoon, thoughtfully placed nearby and had a small sip. It tasted as good as it smelt. She managed over half of the bowl before her stomach protested. She left the unfinished meal on the table, and after cleaning her teeth she went to bed, sinking into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

Day three and Vader seemed in a better mood. She created a force shield around herself before going inside. Once the door had slid shut behind her he gave a small nod; but then even as she was returning his nod, he moved immediately into a combat pose, she guessed he sensed her shield. He once more offered her the training blade. She took a breath, aware that the moment she shook her head he would attack, and it was going to hurt. She lifted her chin, hoping to buy a little time by speaking to him, but he didn't wait to hear her words. He gave her a force-push with a single graceful gesture, the power of which knocked her off her feet despite her shielding. She slid gracelessly down the wall and he left her in a breathless heap without a backward glance.

She did a self-assessment before trying to move. Everything seemed to work. She wasn't even seeing double. No serious injuries, a definite improvement, her shield had protected her to an extent. She walked to the shuttle unaided. Result. But it didn't make her happy, she was getting nowhere.

Back on the surface she made her way outside to the garden for her run, eager to push herself harder than the day before while she was physically able. To her surprise one of the Imperial Guards from the gym was waiting for her in the garden. It took her a moment to remember his name: Calar.

'Mind a running companion?'

Rune shook her head, mainly because she couldn't think what to say. Was he here to spy on her? To guard her, and if so from what?

They ran in silence, Calar was clearly much much fitter than she, and she used him to run her best time and distance so far. They didn't speak until she pulled up.

'I enjoyed that, it's good to run outside. I had forgotten.' There was a hint of wistfulness in his voice that she didn't care to try and interpret. 'Same time tomorrow?'

She gave a rueful grin. 'It depends how long I have to spend in the medicentre. I'll comm you when I'm ready?'

Calar nodded, grinning. 'I heard that about you. Training with Vader. You do well to come back every day alive. Don't be too hard on yourself.' He winked and walked off without a backward glance.

She pondered his apparent friendliness over her dinner of broth. She wasn't here to make friends, she was here to… what was she here for? To learn, to serve her apprenticeship, and then what?

She had worked up an appetite and as she pondered these thing's she nearly finished the delicious liquid. The day had had some good parts for once, not just endless humiliation.

The fourth day she was determined to improve. She walked in, shield up, and ready to fight back, but Vader was ready for her. As she gave a force push with all her strength to counter his push, she realised too late he wasn't pushing at all, rather he was pulling her toward him. Completely off balance now, their combined strength flung her head first into the opposite wall at high speed.

She didn't wake up until several hours later in a bacta tank back on the surface.

By the time she was released from med-bay it was too late to run. She walked wearily back to her apartment, only to be greeted by a message from Calar simply saying: 'Let's try tomorrow'.

So, the whole Palace knows about my humiliation? she grumbled, and kicked her droid hard. It felt good. She showered and slept, leaving the delivery from the kitchen to go cold. She was too cross to sit and eat.

The next morning was day five. She had to find a different approach, she ached from head to toe. Any progress she thought she had made had been an illusion, Vader was toying with her until she picked that training blade up. This couldn't go on. But what? She rose groggily and was alarmed to find Calar at her door with the breakfast her droid should have brought.

He laid the table carefully for two and sat opposite her. He poured them both tea and juice and then uncovered the fruit muesli in her bowl, and the enormous fried breakfast on his plate. She was so astonished she couldn't formulate the words to throw him out or even ask what he was doing there.

They ate in companionable silence for a while, or at least until Calar had quietened his initial pangs of hunger.

'So what's going on up there, why do you come back so broken every day?'

Rune scowled but could hardly argue. 'Vader is a lot stronger than me.'

'So you're going head to head with him?'

Rune opened her mouth to deny it, but then realised that yes, she was going head to head with him. Her force push against his. She had told him she wouldn't fight with a sabre because she couldn't hope to win against his superior skill, and yet why was she now trying to push against his superior strength? It was nonsensical now she came to think about it.

'Yes. I am actually that stupid.'

Calar grinned and finished the last morsel on his place. Rune looked at her still half-full bowl, how had he done that?

'Well I'm on duty soon, see ya later.' And he was gone.

Rune watched his retreating back exasperated. She wished she had more experience with people because she really had no idea what was going on here. It was good to have some human contact because otherwise all she would see all day would be droids and Vader, but what was Calar getting out of this arrangement? As a dark apprentice, should she even be tolerating these interactions? She had no idea, and right now she had important things to think about, like how was she going to survive this morning's lesson.

She dressed hurriedly, thinking about this simple question. She shouldn't get into a push/pull battle with Vader, she clearly couldn't win. So, she needed to do something else. Something Vader didn't expect. Something that didn't rely on her being stronger than him. Walking to the shuttle, watching the Palace grow smaller below her and Vader's flag ship loom above her, she wracked her brains for a solution.

Once on board the Devastator, she left the shuttle and walked to the training room. Her feet knew the way, even though her steps got slower and slower, the closer she got. There had to be something.

She thought about how you would get around a wall of anything coming at you. Could she jump over it? Were there any weak spots? She needed to figure this out now and not waste another day. Then it came to her. She had a tactic to try at least.

This time, when Vader came at her with a push, she was ready for him. His force-push was like a wall of energy flattening her every time. But she remembered her study of Hoth and other snow planets back in the temple. Natives would use their own variations of a snow plough that ran at an angle to cut through a wall of snow and push it to the side allowing them to move straight ahead.

This time she angled her own force push so that instead of trying to match force against force, she would cut through. She gave it every last bit of strength she and, had to both her own surprise and Vader's, she sliced through his shield and got in close enough to give him a force-push that sent him reeling back a couple of steps.

She was jubilant although she quickly realised that without a weapon, getting inside Vader's shields wasn't really going to do her much good.

Before she could panic about what to do next, he abruptly switched off his sabre.

'Hmm, finally. Some initiative, some indication you can learn.' She bristled but didn't speak, she had been rather slow on the uptake. 'You were young when you were captured, and you spent a long time in an….unstimulating environment. Your mental state may have been irretrievable. It seems you are ready to take the first step.

He motioned to a droid off to one side and swept out of the room, leaving Rune as stunned as if he had just flattened her as usual. It may have been warranted, but as irrational as her feelings were, she didn't appreciate them testing her for stupidity. And what did he mean first step?

The droid was trying to usher her out of the training room. Annoyed she started to follow it and then stopped in alarm as she felt the ship jump to hyperspace.

'What's happening?' she demanded. Was Vader taking her to Palpatine? After all this time wondering where he was and why he wasn't training her she realised she wasn't that eager to see him again.

The droid gave a mechanical shrug. 'We have jumped into hyperspace'.

Rune didn't bother to curb her annoyance and kicked the droid hard. It flew back into the wall and slumped in a familiar fashion. It reminded her of herself. She grinned. Lashing out was surprisingly satisfying and didn't seem to be getting old.

It scrambled to its feet in an ungainly fashion and beckoned her out of the room. She followed in silence, scowling at its slowness.

It took her on rather a trek across the destroyer, that culminated at a simple room with a bed, a fresher and an adjoining head.

'I'm not going in there. Take me to Lord Vader' she demanded, enjoying the sensation of being awkward.

The droid squealed and then dithered in the corridor, uncertain what to do. She didn't wait for it to decide but headed for the bank of turbolifts at the end of the corridor. The droid followed uncertainly, trying to call her back in vain.

Doors swished open in front of her and she stepped inside. 'Bridge.' She spoke in as commanding a voice as she could muster, ignoring the droid as it hustled inside with her. The turbolift obliged, somewhat to her surprise.

The doors opened, not onto the bridge but onto a large conference room. Vader was stood by a huge viewport, watching her.

'I have seen enough of you for a while, can't you stay in your room?'

'Certainly, I can stay in my room if you put me in a shuttle that can get me back to Coruscant.'

Vader may have been wearing a mask, but she was reasonably certain he was glaring at her.

'Where are we going?'

'You and I have a mission.'

'A test you mean?'

Vader turned and looked out of the window at the blur of hyperspace. To say his mask was expressionless, his whole mien gave off extreme boredom. 'Of course'

'And?'

'We have reports of a Jedi hiding out on Yavin 4. My Master wishes you to track him down so that I may kill him.'

'Hmm, and how do you find rogue Jedi when I'm not around?'

'That doesn't matter. What matters is if you can and will do it.'

Rune realised it was time to put her credits where her mouth was. 'What's our ETA?'

'18 Hours. Be ready.'

And she was ready. She had exercised and eaten and slept, and now she sat quietly next to him as he piloted the shuttle expertly and put down in some quiet moorland on the far side of a low-tech settlement, obscured from their view by long grasses.

She walked down the ramp and knelt on the dry earth. Closed her eyes. And reached out with the force.

It took a while, but once she had cleared her mind to the point she wasn't even aware of the faint breeze ruffling her shorn hair, she sensed a distant trace of a force user. Just a wisp of colour running through the force, just out of her reach. She didn't think it was a presence she had met before. She focused in, trying to locate a trail. It seemed to run up into the mountains that loomed above them, vanishing up into the clouds. Reluctantly she opened her eyes.

She stood slowly and stepped onto the bottom of the ramp and looked up at the Sith Lord lurking at the top of it. He seemed to suck all the light and life out of his surroundings. She could almost imagine that the grasses and leaves around the shuttle were wilting in his presence.

'We need to go up'

Vader turned on his heel and re-entered the shuttle.

Rune climbed slowly up the ramp and followed him inside, she felt tired from her foray into the force.

Back on board she watched him out of the corner of her eye as he expertly piloted the shuttle through the low-level forests and up into the foothills. Vegetation was thinning, but the rock surfaces looked pitted and places for concealment many.

She closed her eyes and reached out tentatively, opening herself to a vision. Uncertain how to proceed. When the dark side had brought her a vision before she hadn't asked it to. She didn't know how to access the dark side or how to far-see in it if she did.

'What do you see?'

'Nothing, it's too noisy in here'. She scowled with the effort of clearing her mind to allow the dark side in. It was like saying don't think of Jawa's, she reflected – as soon as you had the thought, you couldn't think of anything else.

In fact it was as she was thinking of Jawa's that the vision hit her hard.

An old man in a desert. Far from here. Giving a boy a light sabre. A boy with Anakin's eyes.

What did it mean?

She felt she was supposed to tell Vader, but she didn't. She needed to concentrate on the Jedi here.

There, a thread, in the darkening waters of the force. She followed it, relieved. 'There is a Jedi here….but he is dying' she said, her brow furrowing. There was more, she had the sensation that he was very pleased with himself.

'There are traps, he has laid traps for you' she said in wonderment.

Vader nodded, apparently satisfied. Ah, that had been the test then.

He didn't land the shuttle, simply aimed a missile at the mountain and fired ruthlessly.

Rune felt the dim light of the Jedi go out. He had never even known that his carefully planned traps had been in vain.

'It's done' she announced. Vader wheeled the shuttle and headed up to his destroyer, without a backward glance for the settlement about to be crushed by the broken side of the mountain plummeting down towards them from above. Rune heard their cries through the force but closed her mind to them.

Instead she thought how envious her school mates would have been at one time to know she was sat in the cockpit next to Anakin Skywalker. What would they think now? She felt sick.

She awoke the next morning, confused for a moment. Then she remembered she was on board Vader's ship. The annoying droid was stood in front of her, well out of her reach. It informed her tonelessly that she had only 30 minutes until her session with Lord Vader in the training room and did she desire any breakfast?'

Her mouth formed a little 'O' of shock. She had no idea what time it was and why it hadn't occurred to her that Vader would still expect her for their session. She guessed she owed the droid one – no more kicks - for today at least.

She hustled and made it to the session on time, a little wary after yesterday's test, to see if anything had changed between them.

Seemingly it had.

He was stood waiting and made no move to attack her. She stepped into the room and nodded warily as the door closed behind her.

The Sith was holding something in his hand, and now he held it out to her. To her astonishment she saw that it was a light sabre, not the training blade.

And with a rush of horror she realised exactly which sabre it was.

Her own. Something she had thought never to see again.

'Maybe we should come to a compromise. I will give you this sabre and you will relearn your blade skills and I will teach you to defend yourself without having to use it. Agreed?'

Rune nodded ever so slowly, her eyes glued to the familiar lines, barely hearing his words. She had neither wanted it back nor expected it back, but a part of her brain was realising there was no evading this.

She forced herself to reach for the sabre, remembering the way it felt against her skin with a longing she hadn't expected. The moment her fingertips touched the smooth, cold stone a charge jolted through her fingertips and she nearly dropped it as a vision over took her. For a moment she saw a girl, a young woman, on a desert plain, holding a sabre in a battle stance, her expression fierce. It was the sabre from her last vision Rune was sure of it. But she had no idea if this vision took place before or after the last one in the ribbon of time. She didn't even know if they were in the past or future.

She closed her fingers firmly around her own sabre and hoped Vader hadn't noticed that hesitation or if he had, he had mistaken it for emotion at the return of her own blade.

It felt cold and warm to the touch, just as she remembered, for hers was an unusual design. Most Jedi had a metal casing, but she hadn't wanted that. She hadn't known what she had wanted, but when it was time to make her sabre, the droid, Professor Huyang, seem to know what was required. Amongst all the options he had provided to her group, the smooth black diamond and supple leather had sung to her. She still remembered the feel as she used the force to glide the smooth black casing over her Khyber crystal, snug in its housing, and the warm leather strips weaving themselves around the smooth cold stone, protecting it and giving it a good grip.

It felt so right in her hand, it fit perfectly. Of all her friends, only Gungi had had such a unique housing for his blade, choosing wood from his native planet Kashyyk. She hadn't known her own native planet, but it made her hope she came from a planet where nature was important, where stone and leather were common place. And yet she hadn't been sure. Somehow, the blade had never felt like hers. It felt like she was building the sabre to give to someone else. Someone she hadn't met back then. Funny how she had forgotten that feeling, but remembering it now gave her a reason to take the blade back from Vader. It felt like the time was coming when she would give this sabre to the person who had been born to wield it. Maybe she had already met them, maybe she would soon. But it wouldn't be long, she could feel it.

With a jolt she was brought back to the present.

Vader was waiting. She brought the sabre to life, feeling the force flow between herself and her blade as if they were simply an extension of each other. It took her breath away how right and how alien it felt all at the same time. The blade still sang to her, as it flickered a dull green.

With a strange patience that was new to her, Vader ran her through her forms, prompting her as she struggled to remember. But gradually the once-familiar sequences returned to her, and her wasted muscles began to flow through the motions, as if she were in a dream. She had the vague impression that Vader was enjoying the lesson, and he was good at teaching. She remembered his beautiful padawan Ahsoka and how skilful she was with a blade, well taught by her master. She wondered if he was remembering Ahsoka too, and what he was thinking.

The session passed surprisingly quickly and she was confused when he dismissed her and told her they were back in orbit. Clearly he intended her to leave the ship with the sabre, something she hadn't been expecting.

As she walked to the hangar bay she thought back to her vision, the second in as many days. She wondered what they meant – she had no way to know if they were of the past or present or future. But she had felt a link to the girl in some way that she couldn't describe. Were they linked to each other? And was the girl lined to the boy in her first vision? Or was their only connection the sabre? And whether they were or not, why was she having these visions? She had a sudden flash of inspiration, she had had both visions in Vader's presence. Maybe he was the link, not her.

She was pondering this as she spotted Xinn at the top of the shuttle ramp. The sight was so unexpected she couldn't gather her wits for a moment, before she thought to pull her cloak around her.

She strode up the ramp ignoring the girl and her retinue. All she wanted was to be back in her rooms. There was something she needed to do – something while she was not near Vader or her Master.

Since she had become Palpatine's apprentice, she had been relying on the force, not sure how to truly wield the dark side. But now, somehow, she knew it was time to step into the darkness. The blood of the Jedi in the mountain had washed over her and granted her access at last.

Trapped

Six had a lot on his mind, but he had taken a moment to send a word of thanks out into the ether when the Kraken finally jumped away from Contact and his ship, and there was still no sign of their treacherous former co-pilot Xinn and her crew of imps.

He couldn't afford for the imps to ever get a tag on Contact, but they had been getting relentlessly closer and closer to the Kraken with every jump. It had been a high-risk strategy to meet up with Contact, but Six's little crew had had no money, no supplies, and nowhere to go. At least Contact could find and destroy the bugs that Xinn had left behind and given them fuel, supplies and credits to make them operationally viable once again.

It seemed to have paid off, but even so Six had spent a couple of cautious weeks camped out in the outer rim, waiting to see if the imps could still find the Kraken.

Now, finally, he was convinced they really were free of Xinns bugs. It was time to get on with the mission.

They needed to find and join with another, much bigger resistance group. It was becoming clear that Contact and the little group of rebels that he, Six, was a part of, was too small to make much impact on the ever-swelling ranks of the Empire. Thanks to Inez making contact with Tia and her son Harben, they had a way in to this much larger group that had been openly fighting back against the Empire for some time now.

All he needed to do was arrange a meeting and introduce himself and their little outfit. Contact had entrusted that job to him, and Six didn't want to blow it. Diplomacy was famously not his strong suit, but with Inez at his side and Tia to speak up for them, he hoped to pull it off.

He was sat now with Tia in the cockpit. They had rehearsed what they were going to say, and now he took a deep breath and opened the comms channel.

'This is Commander Six, of the freighter Kraken, come in please.'

As expected, there was silence. 'I have with me Tia and her son Harben who were attacked by an imp ambush and the rest of her unit were killed, their ships destroyed. We rescued her from Trielle Space station during an imp attack. Her shuttle was destroyed during the barrage. We must also report the murder of your agent on the station at the time. We request safe passage for ourselves and Tia, we wish to join you.'

There was no acknowledgement even though Six was sure the rebels were listening hard.

'Come in, this is Tia.' there was a slight quiver on the edge of her voice, as she recalled the events of the last few weeks. 'Captain Handis, my husband Tom and the rest of the crew are all dead. There is only me and Harb left. We made it to the safe haven on Trielle in the shuttle. The agent never came to the rendezvous point. I found him dead right before the imp attack on the station. Six and his crew rescued me, and they would like to speak to you. I think they have earnt that right. Please acknowledge.'

They waited.

There was a crackle of static and then a coordinate, time and date appeared. 'Roger that' said Six looking at it. It seemed the best they were going to get.

He shut down the comms unit and gave the coordinates to his pilot, Kehl. 'Well, it's worth a shot.'

Tia nodded. 'I hope so, I'm afraid my husband and I weren't that high up even in our cell.'

Six shrugged. 'I believe they are honourable. They have a right to be suspicious but if they don't intend to give us a chance I don't think they would send us any coordinates. They would just ignore us.'

Six hoped that was true, but he had no way to be sure. He tried to look unconcerned, but he eyed his pilot. Kehl was known for his 'sixth sense'. If he had a bad feeling then Six was wondering if he would just give it up, turnaround and go after Contact to get Rune back.

But Kehl was keying in the coordinates intently, a gleam in his eye, as if, in fact, that he had a very good feeling about all this.

Six's thoughts wandered back to Rune. He wondered what she was doing, if she was all better and if she was missing them…. They were all missing her, none more so than himself.

Six paced about in his quarters anxiously. Only an hour until they rendezvoused with the rebel ship. They were ready. Inez was preoccupied though, he had noticed that much at least. He prodded her trying to get to the bottom of it.

'Tia is excited to re-join these rebels, but I think Harb would like to stay with us. He has had a great time here with Star. He's no Kit, but he's good with a computer and he compliments Stars skills. I'm thinking we could offer him a place, but I don't know if Tia would let him stay without her….. and I don't think we have room for her. Not once we get Rune back.

Six mulled this over. He knew Tia had been getting quite friendly with Vail since he'd saved her life back on the space station. He wondered if that was a factor in Inez reluctance to invite her to stay on board. Vail had hurt Inez badly. If he got together with Tia, that would be another slap in the face for the diminutive woman.

'Well we can offer. We do need someone to keep all the tech equipment going, Star has her hands full with the ship itself.'

Inez nodded pensively. 'And if Tia says she will stay with him?'

Six shrugged, avoiding Inez gaze. 'Then we will make room. She stays with you in Xinns bunk. Rune always slept in engineering anyway.'

It felt good to talk about Rune as if she would be back any day now. Six gave the first genuine smile in several days, and Inez realised she wasn't the only one who seemed to spend her days worrying and fretting about anything and everything.

She knew it was inevitable that Tia would stay if Harb did, and she also knew she had to put the needs of the ship first. She swallowed. It wasn't going to be easy watching Tia and Vail get closer and closer, but the crew needed a techie. And Star had taken Harb under her wing. It seemed to suit the young Twilek girl to have a little brother, it took her mind off how much she missed Kit.

With a sigh, Inez headed down to engineering. Six watched her go and wished he could make her life a bit easier in some way. She seemed to take the brunt of the worrying over this little family, and yet again she was putting the needs of the crew over her own needs.

Inez found Harb and Star down in engineering, heads touching as they huddled over some piece of the ship and prodded it with interest. 'Harb, do you like being on this ship?' asked Inez, ditching any pretence at waiting for them to notice her.

'Sure, I love it' grinned Harb eagerly. His eyes were shining with excitement as he and Star worked.

Inez smiled warmly. He was being allowed to do things on this ship he never had before; he was being listened to; his thoughts and ideas were taken seriously. He was heard. She guessed he had always just been a little kid to the crew's his parents had worked on before. Here he was treated like he mattered – not like a burden.

'Well there is a place for you here if you want to stay.'

'Really?' He was so excited. 'I wanna stay so bad!'

'Well, you will need to go with your mom when we dock with her people. They will need to check us out and make sure we are who we say we are. But then, after that, when they know we aren't secret imps or anything, you can come back if you still want to, and if your mom says you can'.

'Gee thanks Inez, there is nothing I want more!'

'It's a dangerous life kid, and you will have to work hard if you're gonna be our techie, you have a lot to learn. But I know you can do it.'

'You mean I can really be the ships techie?'

Inez nodded and gave him a pat on the arm, as she couldn't reach the top of his head.

In response he grabbed her and lifted her up and swung her round.

'Put me down you great buffoon, you'll hurt yourself!' but she was laughing, and so was Star. He put her down carefully, and she saw how red he was, and maybe there was something in his eye, for they were glistening and bright suddenly.

'Good. Well you let us know, after you have had some time getting to know your people again ok?'

He nodded and Inez left, reminding him he was due to disembark in twenty minutes and to get his things.

As they emerged from hyperspace, the whole crew was crowded into the cockpit much to Khel's annoyance.

There was only empty space for a moment and then in the blink of any eye a huge battle cruiser dropped out close by.

Six and Inez frowned at each other uneasily. The cruiser had issued them with very specific instructions. They had followed it through hyperspace to a new destination about thirty minutes away. So far so sensible. But now the pair of them were to wait in the airlock while a shuttle was sent to collect them. They were to bring Tia, Harben and a third member of the team with them. Tia had suggested Vail, and so it had been. Inez and Six were not happy to break with protocol and have both leave the ship but the rebel message had been exact. Kehl had been left in charge with Dan as his second. And now they stood fidgeting in the docking bay.

Once the shuttle was docked with the Kraken, further instructions had been issued. All three of the crew were to remove their clothes – all their clothes – and put on the overalls and shoes provided. This had further sparked Inez ire as the overalls were huge on her and she could hardly move in them. Stiffly they shuffled onto the shuttle and it bore them over to the cruiser – the Periwinkle.

The ramp lowered to reveal a lot of armed guards and one officer. Six and Inez glanced at each other apprehensively. It was as if the resistance had expected them to charge down the ramp, guns blazing.

The officer stepped forward and beckoned to Tia and Harb to join him, greeting them warmly. Harb faltered, not wanting to leave them, but Tia grabbed his arm and dragged him down the ramp, not perceiving that there was anything wrong, just relieved to be back with her people.

Six started slowly down the ramp behind him and was intercepted by the first set of guards.

Once the three of them were stood on the deck, each surrounded by their own set of guards, they were abruptly bound at the wrists. 'Come on now, we are here as allies against a common enemy' called out Six, trying to address the officer, but the officer was ignoring them, busy ushering Tia and Harb out so they couldn't see this rough treatment of their rescuers.

The guards now bore the crew members in three different directions out of the hangar and Six had only a moment to catch Vails eye and try and indicate he should remain calm. Inez was already lost from view, amongst her huge clothes and hulking guards.

And so it begins thought Six, gritting his teeth. This was not the welcome he had expected. They were being treated like criminals, and he realised they were completely at the rebels' mercy. Tia had told him plainly enough she had no influence or rank to help him. Had he been a fool to bring his ship and crew here and hand them over so readily?

Next chapter: Rune receives her first lesson from the Emperor, and Six and the crew receive some unwelcome information from the Rebellion...